Research - Story Idea's

Narrative
The narrative of this story consists of a young girl who comes home from school to find her family and several police officers in her living room. Her family look distraught and this confuses the young girl. After hearing the police officer describe her features and characteristics she has a flashback which reveals to the audience her death and the girl is able to see her murderer. Frustrated that she is able to identify the murderer, her ghostly self runs to the police station and writes the name of the murderer who is recognized immediatly. The story ends with the girl waking up from a coma and realizes that this was all a dream even though she did get hurt.

Why this story appeals to me...I particularly like this story as there is a sense of mystery from the start and the narrative ensures that the audience have time to try and work out the situation themselves which is a quality I would like to encompass in my own work. I am also fascinated with after life and I believe that it is powerful to suggest to children that a spirit can exsist. This story was also written by a child which I think is effective in the style of this story. I think that this story could be adapted into a film in a imaginative and powerful way. However if I were to adapt this story I would re-invent it in my own way and perhaps erase the idea of 'it was all a dream' and instead create a scene at the end where the young girl says goodbye to her mother, which would hopefully evoke an emotional reaction from the audience. I would also like to add in a couple of inventive shots for example the young girl looks in the mirror and see's no reflection. I think it would be a creative experience to create this spiritual story into a short film.

Research - Story Idea's

Short story - The Window

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Narrative
The narrative of this story is simple and effective. Two men are lying in hospital beds next to each other. One man is next to the window and is able to sit up right for one hour a day to look out of the window and describe all the wonderful things he can see to the other man who has to constantly lie on his back. However the man on his back begins to become jealous and one night when the man next to the window is clearly dying the man on his back choses not to help him. The next day once the man next to the window has died the man on his back asks the nurse to move him next to the window and the nurse obliges. However as the man props himself up to take his first look he see's nothing but a brick wall outside of the window. This is a story of greed, jealously and the idea of 'no good deed goes unpunished'.

Why this story appeals to me...
I like this story as it has a great deal of emotion and meaning. There is a moral to this story and I find that an important quality in a short film or story. There is also a powerful twist at the end which is also poignant as it changes the audiences opinion of the characters. This story also has dramatic scenes which will draw the audience in. I think this story would work well on film especially if I find good actors. It also wouldnt be too difficult to recreate as there is only one location, minimal cast and simple props. This film would be purely substance over style. 

Research - Story Idea's

Short Story - The Boy Who Cried Wolf

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Narrative
The narrative of this story is simple and meaningful. It is about a young boy who tricks people into thinking he is being hurt by a wolf and the town come running to his rescue. However the boy is fine and was seaking attention. He tricks the people several times. But one day a wolf really is there and is possible going to hurt him but when he 'cries wolf' nobody comes running as they think he is tricking them as usual.

Why this story appeals to me...
This story appeals to me as there is a great moral which is simply 'dont tell lies you never know when you might need people to believe you'. This is a great message to send out to children therfore if I were to adapt this story into a childrens short film I would re-invent the story into a modern day realistic situation to illustrate the message to young people. One idea could be a young girl who always tells her mother 'mummy my teacher keeps hurting me' and fakes bruises etc but it never turns out to be true. Eventually her teacher does hurt her but it cant be proven and her mother doesnt believe her.

Research - Directors

Tim Burton

Tim Burton is a major award winning director. Some of his most famous work includes Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland, Sweeney Todd and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He is very much an 'auteur' director as his work seems to reflect a part of him as his films are typically about lonely outsiders who are usually 'weird' in some way which many believe is a mould of himself. Tim Burton's films usually have a dark, gothic tone with an anormous amount of fantasy which is one the reasons why I admire Tim Burton's work. His films are always very nicely shot and the picture is always interesting and colourful.



Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is known as one of the greatest movie directors of all time. His most famous pieces of work include, E.T, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Schindlers List and Saving Private Ryan. Spielbergs films always reflect his great imagination by immersing the audience into often a fantasy world with aliens and dinosaurs. However his films are powerful and often evoke a great deal of emotion which is why I admire Spielberg as a director.



Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick is a great director who is appreciated by many. His is most famous for films - The Shining, A Space Odessey and A Clockwork Orange. His style is usually very avant-guarde and experimental especially in films such as A Space Odessey which is a film with no dialogue and just continuing music and pictures of space and evolution. I admire Kubricks style of film making as it is imaginative and engaging.

Research - Short Films

What is the Auteur theory?

'Autheur' which is the French word for 'author' is a theory which came about in the 1950's to suggest that a directors film reflects their own personal creative vision and that the directors voice shines through the actors, diaglogue etc. 'Autherism' had a huge impact on film criticism and is also assosicated with the French New Wave. Directors who have been labelled as 'auteurs' include Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks and Jean Renoir.

Charlie Chaplin is a good example of an 'Auteur' director as much of his work reflected his own life and thoughts.


What is Cinema Verite?

Cinema Verite which is French for 'truthful cinema' is a style of film making which is more 'realistic' or 'naturalistic' that feature films. Cinema Verite films usually look more like a documentary than a film through the use of perhaps a hand held camera or minimal mise en scene and lighting. This allows the audience believe more in what they are seeing and hopefully become 'unaware' of the camera's presence.
 
This is an example of a Cinema Verite film from the movie 'Eat the Document'. 


What is avant-garde film?

Avant-garde or 'experimental film' is a term used to describe films which break away from the typical, commercial mainstream films. These films are often abstract not just in storyline but in editing and camera work for example out of focus shots or scratching on the film. The music is often non-diagetic and on some occasions there will be no soundtrack used at all. These type of films began being made in the 1960's and usually have a very low budget and a small crew.

'Russian Ark' is a good example of an Avant Garde film as the whole movie was filmed in one long shot with no breaks or cuts.


What is film noir?

Film Noir which is French for 'black film' is a term used to describe 'stylish hollywood crime dramas'. This era began in the 1940's and ended in the late 1950's. These films often have a low key black and white visual style. Film noir movies have also been labelled as 'melodramas'. These films often have 'typical' characters such as a policeman, an aging boxer or a law abiding citizen. Typical film noir movies include 'The Big Sleep', 'Night and the City' and 'The Set-Up'.

This is an example of a Film Noir movie from the film 'Big Combo'.


What is French New Wave?

French New Wave was a term invented by critics to describe a group of French filmmakers in the late 1950's and 1960's. These French filmmakers rejected classical cinematic filmmaking and created European Art Cinema which encompassed experimental editing, visual style and narrative. These films often included social and political issues of the era which made the films popular to watch.

This is an example of a French New Wave film from the movie 'Breathless'.


What is 'Dogme'?

Dogme is an avant-garde film making movement which started in 1995 by a couple of Danish directors. The idea of the movement was to make films that dont depend on big hollywood budgets and can be noticed and appericated through television stations. This allowed film makers to have more flexibility when making a film and not be pressured by having to have a large budget. This movement made film makers re-think the essence and effect of film making.

'Italian For Beginners' is an example of a film made in 'Dogme' style. 

Research - Short Films

Mud Boy



'Mud Boy' is a short film that I found on BBC films. Even though it is 10 minutes long which is double the amount of time that my short film will be, it has inspired me to make a film of this genre (thriller) as it can be interpreted in several ways which therefore engages the audience . The twist at the end of this film was very powerful  and makes you want to watch it again which is an effect I would like to involve in my short film. The camera shots were also very creative and effective which gave the piece a nice presentation overall. The lighting and tone of this short film was dull and grey which illustrates the genre of this short film. The music was building up throughout the film which made me want to keep watching as you suspect something is going to happen. Also I noticed that the camera was mainly focused on the girl throughout the film which emphazises the idea that she is imagining the whole thing. This also can be quite a scary effect as it suggests that perhaps the boy has disappeared. Mud Boy is a good example of a type of film I would like to make.

Telling Mark




Similar to 'Mud Boy', 'Telling Mark' explores the idea of illusions and mental issues. The genre is drama/thriller and leaves you wanted to see the short film again as the twist at the end destroys your original interpretation on the film. Throughout 'Telling Mark' the audience naturally tries to guess what is going on during the short film as the dialogue is minimal and there seems to be a lot of silence during the film apart from a few snipits of thriller style music. I like the idea of having a ghost character in a short film especially as when you view this film for the second time you realise that this women has been completly ignored by all the guests. This short film along with 'Mud Boy' has made me consider making this genre of film.

Bitch



'Bitch' is very different to the other short films that I have looked at. Bitch is a comedy which looks a lot more like a feature film than the other two films I have studied. I like this film a lot as as the dialogue between the old lady and the young man sets up a sense of confusion, espeically when the old women claims that the man looks like her so called Asian son. The music is light hearted with a sense of mystery to keep the audience engaged. I especially like the title sequence at the begining as it was clever and an interesting way to start a short film. The other interesting aspect of this short film is that the audience is led to believe by the use of mise en scene that the young man is suppossedly the 'rough' or 'dangerous' one in the situation whereas the old woman comes across as friendly and harmless however the twist at the end reveals that it is infact the other way around. This short film is very comical and if I were to decide to make a comedy for my short film I would use 'Bitch' as my inspiration.

The Black Button


'The Black Button' is a short film which I found on YouTube. It explores several themes such as greed, murder,religion and death. The concept of the short film is clever and engaging. There is an organ playing throughout  in the background which gives the piece a religious feel which is eventually complimented by the twist at the end. A series of extremly short shots are used in this short film especially towards the end to mirror the mans confusion and the pressure he is under. The mise en scene is basic for this short film they are simply in a plain white room wearing suits however at the end blood begins to drip from the mans head and body to emphasise that his future will be spent in hell. I would be interested in making this style of a film as it encompases many  interesting ideas and an engaging but simple story line.